Turbine blade or vane

ABSTRACT

A turbine blade or vane includes passages in the interior. Further, in the region of a radial end of a partition which delimits a passage, a shoulder is provided. On the shoulder there rests an insert which closes off the at least one passage. As such, the end of a partition is produced in such a manner that it is optimized in terms of flow retained.

[0001] The present application hereby claims priority under 35 U.S.C.§119 on German patent application number DE 10217389.3 filed Apr. 18,2002, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention generally relates to a turbine blade or vane.Turbine blades or vanes are often produced by a casting process, inwhich it is beneficial for more passages to be formed in the interior ofthe turbine blade or vane than are required for cooling. To close upthese passages again, plates, which have right-angled edges, aregenerally welded onto the ends of the inner partitions which form thecooling passages. However, the cooling medium has to flow past theseright-angled edges, which, inter alia, leads to pressure losses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It is an object of an embodiment of the invention to provide aturbine blade or vane in which passages in the interior, which areproduced for manufacturing technology reasons and are not required foroperation, are closed off with respect to the outside but which, interms of flow, do not cause any disturbance or pressure loss.

[0004] The object may be achieved by a turbine blade or vane accordingto an embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is diagrammaticallydepicted in the figures, in which:

[0006]FIG. 1 shows a turbine blade or vane,

[0007]FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an underside of a pedestal of aturbine blade or vane according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0008]FIG. 3 shows a section in line II-II from FIG. 2, and

[0009]FIG. 4 shows an enlarged illustration from FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010]FIG. 1 shows a turbine blade or vane 1 with a main blade or vaneregion 4, a pedestal 7, by which it is secured, for example, in a disc(not shown in more detail) of a rotor of a turbine (not shown in moredetail), and a platform 10 and which has a radial axis 2.

[0011]FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a section on line B-B from FIG. 1.

[0012] Starting from the pedestal 7, by way of example three passages,namely a first passage 13, a second passage 16 and a third passage 19,run in the interior of the turbine blade or vane 1 in the region of themain blade or vane region 4. They form, for example, cooling passages.Further passages are possible.

[0013] Passages 13, 16, 19 of this type are useful for design reasons.This is because the material saved reduces the weight of and mechanicalloads on the turbine blade or vane. A core which is surrounded withmaterial during casting can easily be removed if the passages 13, 16, 19extend along the radial axis 2.However, in terms of manufacturingtechnology, it is very difficult to produce passages which are closed inthe region of the pedestal 7 when using a casting process.

[0014] In this example (FIG. 3), two passages 16 and 19 should beclosed. FIG. 3 shows a section on line II-II from FIG. 2, parallel tothe radial axis 2. The second passage 16 is, inter alia, delimited ontwo sides by a first partition 31 and a second partition 34. The thirdpassage 19 is laterally delimited, inter alia, by the second partition34 and a pedestal wall 22 of the pedestal 7.

[0015] The cooling medium which flows out of the disc of the turbinerotor into the pedestal 7, as indicated by arrows 37, is not intended toflow through the second passage and the third passage 16, 19. Rather, itis intended to flow through at least one other passage 13 into theinterior of the turbine blade or vane 1 in the main blade or vane region4.

[0016] At one axial end 49, the first partition 31 has a first shoulder25 which faces into the second passage 16, i.e. is on its inner surface52. The pedestal wall 22, also has a second shoulder 28 in the interiorof the passage 19 at the same radial height as the first shoulder 25. Ifa corresponding insert 40 is resting on the shoulder 25 and 28, thesecond passage 16 and the third passage 19 are completely closed offwith respect to the outside.

[0017] A transition 43 which runs from the insert 40, via the firstpartition 31, into the axially adjacent first passage 13 is rounded andtherefore optimized in terms of flow, so that no turbulence, pressurelosses or swirling, as would be caused by a sharp edge, occur.

[0018] The thickness of the insert 40 corresponds to the depth of theshoulder 25, 28 in the radial direction (FIG. 4). The shoulders 25, 28are designed to run all the way around and are connected to one another,i.e. one opening 46 of the passages 16, 19 has a widened cross sectionin the region of the opening (FIG. 2) and forms a recess 55.

[0019] The radial end 49 of the second partition 34 by way of exampledirectly adjoins the insert 40, so that this end rests on the insert 40.A radial end 49 of further partitions 58 is rounded or optimized interms of flow. The insert 40 is welded, soldered, adhesively bonded orsecured in some other way to the partitions 31, 34 or 22.

[0020] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that thesame may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regardedas a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intendedto be included within the scope of the following claims.

[0021] List of reference symbols

[0022]1 Turbine blade or vane

[0023]2 Axial axis

[0024]4 Main blade or vane region

[0025]7 Pedestal

[0026]10 Platform

[0027]13 First passage

[0028]16 Second passage

[0029]

[0030]19 Third passage

[0031]22 Pedestal wall

[0032]25 First shoulder

[0033]28 Second shoulder

[0034]31 First partition

[0035]34 Second partition

[0036]37 Direction of flow

[0037]40 Insert

[0038]43 Transition

[0039]46 Passage opening

[0040]49 Radial end of 31, 34

[0041]52 Inner surface

What is claimed is:
 1. A turbine blade, comprising: a pedestal, adaptedto secure the turbine blade, and including at least one outer pedestalwall, a plurality of inner passages, the passages at least being formedby at least one inner partition, wherein at least one passage is closedoff in the region of the pedestal, wherein at least one partition and apedestal wall include a shoulder, and wherein an insert rests at leastpartially on the shoulder and is adapted to close off the passage withrespect to the outside in the pedestal region.
 2. The turbine blade asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the shoulder is formed on an inner surfaceof the passage and creates a relative widening of a cross section of anopening of the passage.
 3. The turbine blade as claimed in claim 1,wherein the insert and the partition are optimized in terms of flow. 4.The turbine blade as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insert and thepartition are rounded at a radial end.
 5. A turbine vane, comprising: apedestal, adapted to secure the turbine vane, and including at least oneouter pedestal wall, a plurality of inner passages,the passages at leastbeing formed by at least one inner partition, wherein at least onepassage is closed off in the region of the pedestal, wherein at leastone partition and a pedestal wall include a shoulder, and wherein aninsert rests at least partially on the shoulder and is adapted to closeoff the passage with respect to the outside in the pedestal region. 6.The turbine vane as claimed in claim 5, wherein the shoulder is formedon an inner surface of the passage and creates a relative widening of across section of an opening of the passage.
 7. The turbine vane asclaimed in claim 5, wherein the insert and the partition are optimizedin terms of flow.
 8. The turbine vane as claimed in claim 5, wherein theinsert and the partition are rounded at a radial end.
 9. A turbineblade, comprising: a pedestal, adapted to secure the turbine blade; anda plurality of inner passages, the passages being formed in the interiorof the pedestal, wherein a shoulder is provided in a region of a radialend of a partition which delimits a passage, and wherein an insert,adapted to close off at least one passage, rests on the shoulder. 10.The turbine blade of claim 9, wherein the end of the partition isproduced in such a manner that it is optimized in terms of flowretained.
 11. The turbine blade of claim 9, wherein the shoulder isformed on an inner surface of the passage and creates a relativewidening of a cross section of an opening of the passage.
 12. Theturbine blade of claim 9, wherein the insert and the partition areoptimized in terms of flow.
 13. The turbine blade of claim 9, whereinthe insert and the partition are rounded at a radial end.
 14. A turbinevane, comprising: a pedestal, adapted to secure the turbine vane; and aplurality of inner passages, the passages being formed in the interiorof the pedestal, wherein a shoulder is provided in a region of a radialend of a partition which delimits a passage, and wherein an insert,adapted to close off at least one passage, rests on the shoulder. 15.The turbine vane of claim 14, wherein the end of the partition isproduced in such a manner that it is optimized in terms of flowretained.
 16. The turbine vane of claim 14, wherein the shoulder isformed on an inner surface of the passage and creates a relativewidening of a cross section of an opening of the passage.
 17. Theturbine vane of claim 14, wherein the insert and the partition areoptimized in terms of flow.
 18. The turbine blade of claim 14, whereinthe insert and the partition are rounded at a radial end.